Love The Lonely
by rocknrolleigns
Summary: When Roman agrees to manage Seth Rollins, he's prepared for another rockstar with attitude. He doesn't expect a man who gets under his skin easily, with his big, brown eyes, and the ability to push Roman's buttons. There is more to Seth than meets the eye, and it's intriguing, compelling. For the first time in his career, Roman struggles to keep things purely professional.
1. Chapter 1

Roman glances at the clock. He's been tapping his pen on the desk for the last ten minutes. If there's one thing he hates more than L.A. traffic, it's waiting. Roman despises waiting. Taking a lungful of air, he drops the pen back in the pen holder. When will punctuality be a trend again? But at least his next appointment is in an hour, and then he'll be done for the day. That thought lightens up his mood a bit. _A little bit_.

"We've talked about this, Seth. Nothing we can do about it." Roman straightens up on his chair, when he hears voices from the slightly opened door. He recognizes the voice as Bayley's.

A snort, and then, "Doesn't make it less sucks."

The conversation stops when Becky opens the door. "Bayley and Seth Rollins are here, Roman," she says.

Roman nods. "Thanks, Bex, send them in."

Bayley walks in first, a smile on her face. Roman doesn't know her much outside work, but everyone in the agency unanimously agrees that she's really nice. He smiles back. And then his gaze falls on the guy standing next to her.

Seth Rollins.

Roman has studied him, like what he does to every potential client, and has seen lots of pictures and videos of him. But it's not the same as seeing him in person. He's wearing a metal band t-shirt that's unfamiliar to Roman and the tightest, dark blue skinny jeans Roman has ever seen. Though to be fair, they suit him, as well as the blond streaks in his dark hair. Seth Rollins is a good-looking guy, Roman has to give him that. To top it all he has the _I-don't-care-about-what-you-think_ attitude a lot of rockstars have. Some people (well, he guesses a lot of people) might think it's attractive, but Roman only senses trouble.

"Have a seat, please," Roman says. Bayley pulls one of the chairs and sits down, while Seth doesn't budge. Bayley sighs and looks apologetically at Roman, who gives her a small, understanding smile. It's not her fault her client is being a jerk. Seth finally sits down after rolling his eyes, letting everyone knows that he would rather be anywhere but here.

See, this is exactly why Roman isn't thrilled to represent rockstars.

Seth takes his phone out of his pocket and begins to scroll away. Bayley throws a disapproving look at him. "Thanks for having us on such short notice, Roman," she says. "I wish we had more time, but Vince wants this done as soon as possible."

"It's alright," Roman assures her. "We can get it done today, the documents are ready. Only need Mr. Rollins to sign them."

"Seth." Seth suddenly looks up, eyes locked with Roman's. "Mr. Rollins sounds like a fifty year-old."

Despite himself, Roman can't help but notice that the pictures don't do his pretty eyes justice. "Right, Seth." He opens the folder in front of him and turns it around, pushing it towards Seth. "It's basically the same contract as the one you signed with Bayley, same conditions and stuff. The only difference is that I'll be taking over her position as your agent and manager," Roman explains. "Any questions? Do you need time to read it over?"

Seth doesn't even give the document a glance. "Yeah, I got a question. Why this transfer bullshit? I've had it fine with Bayley. What makes you better than her?"

Well, Roman expected him to put up a fight, so he's not surprised.

"Seth, we've gone through this four times," Bayley says, sounding tired. "Our chairman wants Roman to represent you. Roman is one of the best agents in the agency, and he's way more experienced than me. I have no doubt he'll do a great job."

"Is he?" Seth eyes Roman up and down, gaze lingering a bit longer on his upper body, before going back to Roman's eyes again. Then he blinks and parts his lips slightly. It's subtle but Roman has perfected his body-language reading skill over the years of dealing with people. Seth Rollins doesn't like that he finds Roman attractive.

Roman holds his gaze. "Bayley is a great agent, but I see Mr. McMahon's point. After your AMAs nomination things are different. You got signed by one of the biggest labels in the country is only the start of it. We'll need to handle everything differently, in terms of endorsement deals and public image," he says. Seth tries his best to look uninterested but Roman knows he's listening carefully. "You're in a totally different place than where you were a year ago, Seth."

"If that means you'll never get off my back—" Seth starts, narrowing his eyes.

Roman can see where this is going. "Technically, I don't care what you do behind closed door," he corrects him. "As long as it _stays_ behind the door. And it's my job to keep it that way." Seth blinks once more, seemingly getting what Roman is implying. Good, then he's as smart as Roman thinks he is, based on what Roman read about him. "Any other question?"

Seth doesn't reply right away. He glances at Bayley over his shoulder; she gives him a smile and a nod. Then he looks back at Roman. "No."

"Okay," Roman says. He picks a pen and places it in front of Seth. "Whenever you're ready."

The way Seth grabs the pen and messily scribbles his signature on the papers tells Roman that he's not gonna be an easy client. But well, Roman's always up for a challenge. He can handle him. Seth isn't the first self-absorbed rockstar he has represented, and surely won't be the last.

* * *

Since they're not off to the best start, Roman is hoping things will get better once Seth accepts that Roman isn't going anywhere. But so far, it isn't happening. Roman has talked to him a few times over the phone for the past week, and it's obvious that Seth hasn't trusted him yet. He kept giving vague answers when Roman asked him where he was.

Well, this is bad. Roman needs Seth to trust him. Even when he's fucked up, he gotta be sure that Roman will clean up the mess for him, however bad it is. That's what Roman gets paid for.

Today after a meeting with the record company, Roman goes to see Seth in the studio to deliver some news. His intuition tells him Seth isn't gonna be happy about it. And he's right.

"It's a joke, right?" Seth demands, crossing his arms as he half sits on the table in the conference room. "A collaboration with fucking Enzo Amore… come on, it's not April first anymore." He shakes his head. "Please, tell me you're joking, and this is your way of getting back at me because I didn't tell you I went to Iowa last Saturday."

Roman actually feels a bit sorry for him. He looks agitated. "It's not a joke. Enzo Amore has skyrocketed this past year, and the label likes his 'realest guy in the room' gimmick. They think a collaboration with him will make you look more approachable," he says. "And, you should have told me you were going to Iowa."

Seth says nothing for a moment, closing his eyes and opening them a second later. Roman doesn't rush him; he knows it never helps. Instead he fixes his eyes on Seth's long legs. The guy does love skinny jeans, doesn't he? They're black this time, and as tight as second skin. No, Roman's not checking him out. He's just being observant, which is a useful trait. Seth is hot, for sure, but there's no way Roman is gonna get involved with a client. No way in hell.

He can see the label's point of wanting this collab. Seth's image is far from approachable. He almost never appeared in his music videos, and he doesn't attend many events. He has both Twitter and Instagram, but he doesn't post that often. While people are on his side for now, saying that he's focused and only in it for the music, it won't surprise Roman if they turn their backs on him tomorrow and start calling him a snob.

"Is there a way to stop it?"

Roman looks at him, carefully deliberating his answer. "I can try to negotiate with them, but I can't guarantee anything. They seem adamant about it."

"Fuck," Seth mutters. "I'm not collaborating with a rapper. Rap is like, the kind of music I hate the most, man. It's not even real music." He doesn't look like he's expecting a reply, so Roman says nothing. "Just, do whatever you can to stop it, okay? Please," Seth says again.

"I'll do my best," Roman assures him.

Seth nods, looking slightly more hopeful. "Thanks," he says. "I'm, uh, sorry about Iowa. It won't happen again."

Now Roman doesn't expect that, but it sounds genuine. He smiles, despite knowing he shouldn't. "I'll hold you to that." Seth smiles, too, and that's a good thing. At least they're going to the right direction.

* * *

"Yeah, I'm emailing you the contract so you can read it over before the signing," Roman says, peering at the computer screen. He cradles the phone on his shoulder as he types away.

"Thanks, Rome, it sounds great," says Kyle on the other side of the line. He's a hockey player; Roman has had him as a client for more than three years. One of the nicest athletes he knows.

Just as Roman finishes sending the email, the office door slams open, and Seth storms in, followed by a worried-looking Becky.

"Got it, Kyle?" Roman asks, moving the phone to the other ear. He hears Kyle reply with a 'yes'. After saying he'll see him tomorrow, Roman ends the call. Then he turns his attention to the intruder, who doesn't look sorry for interrupting a phonecall.

"It's all right, Becky, I got this," Roman tells Becky, though his eyes never leave Seth's face. Becky nods and walks away, closing the door behind her.

"Why is the stupid plan still going on?" Seth snaps, as soon as the door is closed. "What the hell have you been doing? You said you'd do something about it."

Roman takes a deep breath to keep his composure. "I sent you a message, asking if you could come over this evening to talk about it."

Seth crosses his arms, doesn't seem to be embarrassed at all about the outburst. "I forgot my phone at home," he says carelessly, reminding Roman of the Seth that came here with Bayley two weeks ago, as if the progress they made last time is gone and they're back to the beginning. "I'm here now. What have you got?"

"Have a seat." For a moment it seems like Seth isn't gonna sit down, but then he huffs and flops down on the nearest chair. Roman reaches for the folder that has Kyle's contract and places it inside the top drawer. "The record label could accept that you didn't want to be associated with rap. The problem is, Monster Energy, which is the biggest potential sponsor for your tour next year, is also Enzo's sponsor and they demand that collaboration," he says. The frown on Seth's face grows deeper. "Or else they'll pull out."

"You gotta be fucking kidding me." Seth shakes his head. "Then I'm screwed."

Roman watches him, probably a bit longer than he should. Seth holds his face in his hands, looking so dejected. "Not necessarily," Roman finally says. Seth looks up, hope and fear of hope in his eyes, all at once. "We just need to find a new sponsor for the tour."

The hope now overpowers the fear. Seth stares at Roman intently, with his big, brown eyes. "Is it possible?"

"The tour is still eight months away, so yes it's very much possible," Roman says. Seth's face breaks into a grin, and it's—quite adorable. "But there's something else we need to talk about."

After being told he probably doesn't have to do the collab, Seth doesn't look concerned anymore. He picks up one of Roman's pens and plays with it, twisting it between his fingers. So different from how he was when he entered the room. "Yeah? What thing?"

"This is a serious stuff, Seth," Roman says. "It can affect the whole deal."

That gets Seth's attention. He stops twirling the pen and looks at Roman. "Now you scare me. What is it?"

"Your public image. Don't do anything that can possibly jeopardize the sponsorship." Roman opens a new tab on his computer and types on a website address. "Tweeting 'rap sucks' belongs to that category."

Seth opens his mouth, both laughing and protesting. "Oh come on, it's from a year ago."

"The internet never forgets, you should know that," Roman says admonishingly. "Some websites found it and linked it to you refusing to collaborate with Enzo. It could put you in a bad light."

"Should I do something about it?" Seth asks, putting the pen back into the pen holder.

"It's been taken care of," Roman says. "I released a statement that says the tweet was from a year ago, and that it was your personal opinion which has nothing to do with the current situation. You don't want to work with Enzo simply because of creative reasons, that rap isn't your thing."

Seth looks at him, a smile slowly crosses his face. "Impressive." 

He sure is pretty, especially when he's smiling like that. Roman ignores the thought, _so what if he's pretty, he's a client._ Roman is surrounded by beautiful people; why should this one be any different?

"Until we find a new sponsor, please don't get yourself into trouble," Roman says.

Seth leans back on his chair, watching Roman with a half-smile. "I'll try not to. But you seem to get everything under control," he replies, before adding sweetly, "keep up the good work, man." He stands up and smoothens down his t-shirt.

"Going somewhere?"

"Just a party," he says with a shrug. "Sasha throws great parties."

"Sasha Banks?" Roman asks, and Seth nods. Sasha Banks is a rising hip-hop singer, and also one of Bayley's clients. "And when did you plan on telling me about it?"

Seth gives him another sweet smile, slightly tilting his head. "I'm telling you now."

Roman suppresses the urge to roll his eyes. If Seth thinks he can use his big, Bambi eyes and cute smile to get what he wants, he better thinks again. "You're not taking this seriously." Roman lets out a sigh. "In order to make it work, we have to be on the same page. Which means you can't keep doing things behind my back, Seth."

At least Seth looks a little remorseful. It's still better than nothing. "Alright, fine. It's just a party. You can come with me, if you want to make sure I don't get myself into _trouble_ ," he says. Roman can hear a mockery in his voice. "Or just to have a bit of fun; you look like you need it. When did the last time you had fun, Roman?"

Roman chooses not to answer. He rises from his chair. "Okay, let's go." Parties are the root of all evil. It might be a good idea to keep an eye on Seth until the sponsorship deal is sorted. He can't risk Seth doing something stupid like drunk driving or being involved in a brawl.

Seth holds his hand up. "You can't be wearing that suit, man, are you kidding me? It's not a party for bankers."

Giving up to the temptation to roll his eyes this time, Roman takes off his suit jacket and hangs it behind the chair, followed by his blue tie. It leaves him on his white shirt and black trousers. "Better?" he asks, doesn't hide his annoyance.

Seth stares at his body, slightly longer than necessary, before looking up to meet Roman's eyes. "It will do," he says. But the mocking tone in his voice is gone.

* * *

Roman has been working as an agent for ten years, and over the years he's had different types of clients. But never before did he come across a client like Seth Rollins.

Seth seems to know how to push Roman's buttons, constantly testing his patience. He does things that he knows will annoy Roman, like saying he bets Roman categorized his socks based on colors, or asking if he's allowed to drink the blue cocktail he just got or if it belongs under 'trouble' category.

"Cause I don't want to make things hard for you, you know," Seth says with feigned concern, provokingly lifting the glass. "So, is it okay?"

Roman looks at him and replies in an icy voice, "It's fine."

"Cool. Cheers for babysitter—I mean agent of the year." Seth gives Roman a sugary smile before taking a sip of the cocktail. Roman watches him with emotionless face. "Hmm, this is good, you should try it. Wait, didn't you say you don't drink while working? That's too bad."

Roman doesn't say anything. Seth downs the remaining blue liquid and winces, making Roman wonder how strong it is. But when Seth speaks again, his voice is perfectly clear, "How about dancing? You don't dance while working either? Or because it's fun and you don't do fun."

If he's always been this infuriating, Roman is sorry for Bayley, although he should feel more sorry for himself. Seth thrusts the empty glass into Roman's hand. "Can you hold this for me? I'll go get another one." And before Roman can do anything, he strolls towards the bar.

Roman takes a deep, deep breath. _No_. He's not gonna let the little brat get to him. His watch tells him that it's twenty past nine. It means he won't be able to tuck his daughter into bed. He always tries to be home before her bedtime, as much as he can. But sometimes it's just not possible. Joelle is pretty understanding, for a kid her age, but it doesn't make Roman feel better. He sighs and decides to go outside for some air. Surely, Seth can stay out of trouble for five minutes.

When Roman is back, he spots Seth on the dance floor, the blond streaks in his hair shine under the sparkling lights. The good thing is, he doesn't look too drunk. Before going here they dropped by at Seth's place for him to get changed. Now he's wearing a form-fitting black shirt and (of course) a pair of dark, super tight jeans. How many skinny jeans does he have, honestly?

Seth dances with a girl for one song, and then with a guy for another song. Roman initially means to watch him from time to time, checking if he's doing all right, but once his gaze falls on Seth it's hard to look away. And it's not even because Seth is dancing wildly or anything—he simply moves his body to the music—yet, Roman's eyes are glued to him.

He knows from the start that Seth is attractive, everyone can see it. But there's just something about him… something about the way the black shirt clings against the contour of his lean and taut body, and how the jeans make his legs look fantastic. Then Seth grinds his hips against the guy he's dancing with, and Roman's breath is caught in his throat. He's suddenly aware of his hammering heartbeat.

 _What the fuck are you doing?_ Roman jerks and looks away in shame. He just checked a client out, what's wrong with him? Never in his professional life has he done something like that. What a disgrace. He closes his eyes, trying to regain control of his body. Right, it's okay… things happen, he's only human, but it must not happen again. After some long seconds, he opens his eyes. He should go somewhere else, clearly Seth is doing all right. Walking away from the dance floor area, Roman heads towards the lounge.

He still doesn't understand how his body reacted like that. Sure Seth Rollins is smoking hot, but he's not the only good-looking person in the room. Why does he effortlessly affect Roman that much? As if it's not enough that he's gotten under Roman's skin.

A waiter walks by, carrying a tray of glasses. "Perrier, sir?" he kindly offers. Roman isn't a fan of sparkling water but right now he's not in the position to be picky. He nods. "The original, lemon, or green apple?"

"Green apple," Roman says without thinking. As soon as the waiter leaves, he drinks the entire water in one go. It leaves a weird taste in his mouth, but Roman won't say no for another one.

* * *

At least going to the party is a good decision, because Seth is wasted when they're driving back to his place. He repeatedly tries to take control of the steering wheel, telling Roman he doesn't want to go home. Roman has to use force to push him away, as well keeping the car on the road. He's impressed he doesn't crash the car.

The problem doesn't stop when they arrive. Seth fumbles for the key in his pocket, leaning on Roman, who has no choice but holding him, ignoring the weird feeling in his stomach when Seth's hair brushes against his face. It feels like years before Seth finds the key, but then he struggles to put it in the keyhole. At that point Roman's patience is already wearing thin, that he snatches the key from Seth's hand and unlocks the damn door.

Seth lives in an apartment in the 17th floor, and the view of glittering Los Angeles lights at night from the glass balcony door is stunning. But Roman has no time to watch, let alone admire it. He just wants to get Seth into bed as soon as possible and goes home. It's been a long day. Not to mention he has a meeting with Kyle and a brand representative tomorrow.

"Come on, let's get you into bed," Roman says, looking around to find Seth's bedroom.

In contrary to his stunt in the car earlier, Seth looks deceivingly sober when he looks up at Roman. "Wanna bed me already, huh?" he says with a grin. Roman hasn't had time to do anything when Seth raises his hand and touches one of Roman's eyebrows. "You're not bad, Roman, not bad. Especially when you're not scowling."

Roman opens his mouth to respond, but everything he's about to say goes out of the window as Seth gently trails a finger on his eyebrow. "I bet you look really good when you smile," Seth goes on, his voice soft and low. Roman can only look at him in bewilderment, doesn't understand why he doesn't stop what Seth is doing, when he's the sober one.

Like getting a cue, his traitorous mind begins to flash the images of Seth dancing from the party. The effect is doubled, now that Seth is right in front of him, watching him with lidded eyes and a half-smile. _Fuck._ Seth most likely won't remember any of this in the morning, but Roman sure as hell will.

This isn't the first time he has to deal with drunken clients, but normally Roman has full control of the situation. Not like this—where his body refuses to listen to him. The hell is he supposed to do?

To his luck, Seth's eyes are slowly closing, and he drops his hand. He mumbles something unintelligible as his head falls on Roman's shoulder. Roman breathes out in relief, but it's short lived as he realizes that Seth's body is pressed against his. Cursing everything he can think of, Roman wraps his arms around Seth to keep him from sliding.

Now where is that goddamn bedroom?

* * *

The rest of the week passes without any incident—or so Roman thought. He talks to Seth on Friday, and as he expected, Seth doesn't remember a thing of his drunken stunts. He only tells Roman he woke up with a headache and drenched in sweat because he slept in his shirt and jeans. Well, it was partly Roman's fault because he left as soon as he'd put Seth on his bed. But at least he remembered to take the shoes off.

So Roman has a nice and quiet weekend with Joelle, with only one client emergency. A soccer player from LA Galaxy got caught driving a car—when his license is currently suspended for three months. He'll have to pay a fine and get a longer suspension, but that's not the biggest problem. Roman quickly writes an apology and sends it out to various media outlets, as well as telling the player he's scheduled an interview with LA Times tomorrow morning. Roman also sends him an email with all the important things he has to say in the interview. The player has been on media training before; he'll be able to handle it.

On Monday morning, Roman goes straight to LA Times' office for the interview. It goes as well as he expected. The player is charming and apologetic, as he owns up his mistake and promises he won't do something that irresponsible again. For his sake, Roman hopes he keeps his words.

When he arrives at the agency, Becky immediately reports that Seth is all over social media this morning. Great, Roman hasn't even had his coffee yet. What has he done this time?

It turns out he was at a small concert in a downtown bar last night, of a band from Chicago that he used to play with. Then the fans spotted him and chaos erupted. The police had to escort him out of the building. The good thing is, nobody is seriously injured. While the bad thing is some music blogs wrote that it's inconsiderate of Seth to come and steal the spotlight. They also mentioned how he used to perform with the band, but he left them as soon as he got a record deal.

Roman sighs as he gazes at the computer screen. This may not seem like a big deal, but it can be. Seth can't afford to have bad publicity, especially right now. At least he hasn't tweeted anything about it without consulting Roman first.

When Seth comes to the office an hour later he's in a foul mood. Dropping his sunglasses on the desk, he roughly pulls a chair and plops on it. "You're gonna lecture me? Go ahead," he says, in a challenging tone. "I didn't tell you I was going to that concert, because I knew you wouldn't let me."

"I surely would tell you to be more careful," Roman says. He rubs his temple with a thumb. "You're very easy to recognize, and it's not just because of your hair."

Seth crosses his arms. "I was wearing a snapback," he retorts defensively. "And I was totally careful. I stood in the back row and made sure nobody paid attention to me. But there was this girl who spilled her beer on my shirt and saw who I was. Then she started screaming and soon people were all over me." He pauses for a second. "It was awful."

Roman looks at him. "Are you okay?" he asks. Seth blinks, looking like he doesn't expect the question.

"Yeah, I'm okay," he says. "The security took me to the storage room, and the police came quickly."

"All right. And I'm glad you haven't tweeted anything before talking to me," Roman tells him. He gives Seth a detail of what to write on Twitter: an apology to the band, and an acknowledgment that what he did was reckless. Seth doesn't protest any of it.

"Does the band have a Twitter account?" Roman asks.

Seth looks up from his phone. "No, but Jimmy and Marek do, though they don't use it much. Dean hates social media."

"It would be nice if they could tweet something about they appreciate you coming to watch them, or something like that," Roman says, writing it down on a piece of paper. "Do you want me to contact them or do you wanna do it yourself?"

"I can see your point," Seth says with a slow nod. "I'll ask them myself, they're my friends."

Right, so it's settled. "I really hope this is the last time you hide things from me." Roman straightens up on his chair, holding Seth's gaze. "Whatever it is, we'll figure it out together. Please, Seth, don't make it more difficult than it needs to be."

"I know. Sorry," Seth says, sounding genuine. He locks his phone and puts it on the desk. "I hadn't watched them perform in a while, so when I heard they were coming to L.A. I didn't think twice. They're my friends, man, I love playing with them; we always had a lot of fun. I didn't… never intended to ruin their concert," he trails off. Roman doesn't urge or interrupt him. He feels that Seth needs to let it all out.

"I'm sure you know the story, about how the record company only wanted me," Seth goes on. "I tried to persuade them to take all of us, but they refused. So I grabbed it, because who knows when an opportunity like that would come again. I worked hard to be where I am right now. I earned my place." He looks at Roman. "If some people think I'm an opportunistic bastard, then be it. I gotta do what I gotta do."

"You're good at what you do," Roman says. "That's why the fans love you."

Seth looks surprised, like he doesn't expect a compliment. "Thanks. So are you. I can see why McMahon wants you to manage me."

"Does it mean you promise you won't keep anything from me in the future?"

The soft laugh that Seth lets out is nothing short of adorable. "Damn, Roman, you're good," he exclaims, before adding more seriously, "Fine. I promise."

"Thank you," Roman says. His eyes linger on Seth's face for one second too long.

"Are all these people your family?" Seth asks as he stares at the photographs on the wall. "You have a big family."

Roman smiles when he looks at the picture of his parents and his brother and sisters. "I have four siblings, and a lot of cousins. And I mean a lot." He grins. "They all live in Florida."

"That's cool. I always wonder how it feels to have a big family," Seth says. "Christmas must be fun."

"If you call chaotic fun," Roman replies, with a chuckle. Seth is still looking at the pictures. Roman watches him, as he suddenly understands. He's read about Seth's family: he is an only child, and his dad left when he was a baby. Seth never knows him. As far as Roman knows, his mom remarried and still lives in Iowa.

Seth turns to Roman. "So, you only see them on Holidays?"

"Yeah," Roman says. "My daughter is always excited to go to Florida." Seth's gaze is fixed on the picture of Roman and Joelle on the desk, which was taken on her 8th birthday last year.

"She's lovely," Seth says, smiling. "How about her mom?" He must have noticed there isn't any picture of her. The way he asks sounds so casual that Roman doesn't feel like he's prying.

"She lives in Sacramento," Roman replies, guessing it's a good thing for Seth to know more things about him. Seth nods in understanding.

They're both quiet for a moment, until Seth announces that he has to go back to the studio. He puts his phone into his pocket and takes the sunglasses from the desk.

"Keep a low profile for now," Roman tells him. "Stay out of trouble, at least until we find a new sponsor."

"Oh Roman, aren't you so fun," Seth says jokingly. But then he says again, in a more serious tone. "No worries. I know what _not_ to do."

Roman genuinely hopes so.


	2. Chapter 2

This time, Seth keeps his word. He doesn't cause any more problems for the next week, and he tells Roman when he goes to Iowa for his grandfather's birthday. He even sends Roman a picture of him grinning at the camera, with the birthday cake behind him and some smeared cake icing on his cheek. The caption says: _Look Roman_ , _I'm having fun for both of us._

It's ridiculous, but somewhat sweet. And it's so him that Roman smiles when he sees it.

Even without Seth giving him a headache, Roman is having a busy week. He's got meetings in London with two soccer clubs who are interested in signing one of his clients. And as soon as he's back in L.A. he hears that his other client threatens to walk out of a movie production over a creative dispute. Roman sets up a meeting with the lawyers from both the agency and the production company to discuss about the contract. If she leaves, the company will file a $2 million lawsuit for a breach of contract. Roman tells the actress that the best they can do is try to settle the case out of court and pay a settlement. Either that or she finishes the movie.

Between all those things and finding a potential sponsor for Seth's tour, Roman pretty much has no time to catch his breath. Last week he promised Joelle they'll go to LA Zoo, but because of the back-and-forth meetings with the lawyers that run over the weekend, he hasn't got the time. She tells him she understands, but Roman feels bad about it. She never demands much, and yet Roman keeps disappointing her.

On Tuesday afternoon Roman calls Seth, telling him to come over to the office as soon as he can. He arrives when Roman is reading over a contract that a client has sent him. As usual, he barges in without knocking. Becky must have let him in because she knows it's a losing battle with him. Roman doesn't blame her.

"I was in the middle of a writing session, this better be good," Seth says, flopping down on a chair. The sight of him almost makes Roman smile, but instead he clears his throat and closes the folder, putting it aside.

"I found it."

The effect of the simple three words is apparent: Seth sits up straight and his eyes widen. "No way."

Roman actually smiles this time. "Diesel clothing is very interested. They want to meet you tomorrow before making the final decision, but it's as good as a done deal." Roman knows these things; it's what he does for a living. He knows when a brand is one hundred percent into it. When they're coming to meet Seth, they'll already have a contract ready to be signed. "Unless you manage to get involved in a big scandal or something."

The last part is also meant as a warning. But Roman isn't sure Seth pays attention to it, because he already leaps from his seat and leans over the desk to give Roman a hug.

"Man, you're the best," Seth tells him, wrapping an arm around Roman's shoulder. He already pulls away before Roman does anything. "I owe you one."

"Technically," Roman starts, ignoring the weird twist in the pit of his stomach of Seth being that close, "you owe me at least three." He hates that he doesn't forget easily, that he can still remember the way Seth's finger trailed across his eyebrow, the husky tone of his voice. Not good.

Seth dramatically rolls his eyes, but a huge smile appears on his face. "Yeah, yeah, what would I do without you?" He walks around the desk, taking Roman's hand and pulling him up. "We gotta celebrate. Come on, I'll buy you a drink."

"It's half past four," Roman points out, looking at him.

"Fine, I'll buy you dinner _and then_ a drink," Seth replies, showing no concern whatsoever. "Do you have more appointments?"

"No, but—"

"Then it's settled. But for fuck's sake take that thing off, you look like a tax attorney." Seth gestures at Roman's tie. Roman sighs, but he loosens the tie and takes it off, already wondering why he agrees to do this.

* * *

To Roman's surprise, Seth doesn't choose one of those glam rock bars on Sunset Boulevard like Roman expected him to. Instead he takes them to a modest bar and grill in Norwalk. The place actually has a nice vibe, with a jukebox in the corner, wooden floor, and it's pretty packed for a Tuesday evening.

"I'm surprised," Roman admits, after they got seated and ordered their food. The waitress quickly comes back with their drinks. "I thought a glam rock bar on Sunset Boulevard would be more your style."

Seth snorts as he stirs his iced tea with a straw. "Please, Sunset Boulevard is for tourists," he says. "Here, nobody cares who you are. People come here to eat and get wasted—and they mind their own business." He takes a sip of the drink. "I never have to worry about being stalked."

Roman catches the sign that says happy hours are from 7 PM to 2 AM. Well, maybe he's right.

"What? Your other clients only prefer Michelin starred restaurants?" Seth asks, raising his eyebrows.

"Not all of them, no. But I guess most of them wouldn't go here," Roman says. "It's a nice place, but you still should be careful. Even if people here don't recognize you, things can still go out of hand and—"

"Nope. No lectures." Seth holds out his hand, cutting him off. "Come on, man, I'm trying to chill out here."

Roman lets out a soft sigh. "Fine. But we're not staying up late and getting drunk," he says. "And I've sent you an email of the important things you need to remember for the meeting with Diesel tomorrow."

"God, Roman, stop it," Seth says exasperatedly. "Can't you stop sounding like an agent for a second and be more like, I don't know, a normal person?" Before Roman says anything, he goes on, "No more business talks, all right? Don't worry about tomorrow, I'll charm the pants off them; I can be very charming if I want to. But tonight, we'll have a good time."

Roman doesn't doubt he can. With that smile he can charm even a lamppost. "All right. No business talks," he says. Just for tonight.

That makes Seth smile. And like before, it's hard for Roman to take his eyes off him. "Cheers." He lifts his iced tea glass.

Gently clinking their glasses together, Roman smiles back. "Cheers."

"You know, when I first met you I didn't like you," Seth says, in the middle of eating their meal. "I thought you were bossy and boring. Like everyone in the agency, pretty much. Except Bayley; she's cool."

Roman reaches for his glass and takes a sip. "Yeah? And now?"

"And now I still think you're bossy—and your clothes are boring. But," Seth tilts his head, looking at Roman, "you've saved my ass a few times, so I like you a little bit." He actually sounds genuine.

"Only a little bit?" Roman asks while holding his gaze. Seth's lips part a little, and he blinks, as if he isn't sure of what to say. Wait a minute, did Roman just flirt with him?

Roman almost jumps when his phone vibrates in his pocket. He pulls it out and sees that he got a text from a client, asking about a clause in a contract. "What, hey!" he protests, when Seth grabs his phone from across the table.

"Stop working," Seth chastises him, holding the phone. "You're being a normal person, remember?"

"It's important," Roman insists.

Seth glances at the text and says dismissively, "If he's not dying, he can wait until tomorrow."

Roman huffs, but he doesn't object. He guesses it's okay; the client can always call if he really needs him. Seeing that Roman has relented, Seth gives him a grin. Well, at least the text melts the weird tension between them. Which is a good thing. Though Roman still doesn't understand why he flirted with Seth, and why it felt like a natural thing to do. Of course Seth is hot, and intriguing, and there's more to him than the little brat exterior that he shows the world. It also has been ages since the last time Roman saw someone. If Seth wasn't a client Roman probably would…

Stop. No. He's not going there.

"You actually saved my number as 'Seth Rollins'," Seth says, looking up from Roman's phone. Roman just notices that he opened his contact list. "I expected something more elaborate, something like 'Problematic Rockstar' or maybe 'The Bratty One'."

"I was tempted to change it to 'Little Brat' but nah, I'm not that childish," Roman replies, making Seth chuckle. "Are you done yet?" He holds out his hand and tucks his phone back in his pocket, when Seth returns it.

By the time they finish dinner, it's 7.08 PM and the happy hours are starting. "Let's get you something to drink," Seth says, pulling Roman towards the crowded bar.

Roman stops him. "I'm driving. And what did I say about not getting wasted?"

"Come on, one drink won't get you wasted," Seth still tries, and when Roman doesn't budge he sighs. "Fine, let's dance then." He takes Roman's hand and pulls him to the dance floor.

There are some reasons why dancing is a bad idea. If pictures of them came out, people could get the wrong idea about them and it could hurt Seth's chance with Diesel, as well as damage Roman's credibility. It would be something that even he can't fix.

 _And then there's another reason_ , he thinks, when he looks into Seth's eyes as he absently moves to the music. Unlike in Sasha Banks' party, there are no sparkling lights on the ceiling; instead there are yellow lights that cast a warm, golden hue on Seth's skin and bring out the caramel glow in his eyes. They are beautiful. Seth is beautiful, and Roman shouldn't think of him this way.

But _God_ he does.

"You can do better than that." Seth laughs, pulling Roman out of his thoughts. Before Roman replies, the song comes to an end and the jukebox plays a new song—The Rolling Stone's "(I can't get no) Satisfaction". Seth's face breaks into a grin. "Oh, I love this song," he says.

As Seth's body begins to follow the rhythm of the song, swaying swiftly yet gracefully, Roman feels his heart beat faster. It's still clear in his mind how Seth danced in Sasha's party, how he grinded his hips against a guy in a provocative manner. Although now he doesn't dance nowhere near as suggestive as he did then, the way some blond strands escape his low bun when he throws his head back, makes Roman want to touch them.

So he does.

He gently tucks the hair behind Seth's ear, palm brushing against his face. Seth looks at him, smiling at first but it fades when Roman's thumb lightly strokes his cheek. Roman's heart is pounding. He has no idea what he's doing, or why he's doing it. He doesn't know how long they've stopped moving; it's not like he can think, anyway. The way Seth is looking at him makes him lightheaded—and he didn't drink a single drop of alcohol tonight.

He wants to kiss Seth. The thought doesn't even surprise him, maybe because he's known it all along. Roman has been intrigued by Seth from the moment he stepped into his office. It takes all of his self-control for him not to grab Seth's head and kiss him right in front of these people, screw the consequences.

Unaware of the struggle, Seth takes Roman's other hand and places it on his hip. Roman swallows heavily. _No._ He can't do it, he can't ignore the consequences and kiss Seth, letting everything—every hour he's put in his work–get thrown out of the window.

"I… have to make some phone calls," Roman murmurs, and without waiting for Seth's respond, he steps back and turns around.

The men's room is empty. As Roman closes the door, he can vaguely hear the jukebox playing a song he doesn't recognize. The water from the tap is cold when he splashes it on his face. Good, it's exactly what he needs. Taking a deep breath, Roman stares at his reflection on the mirror. _It was that close._ He was that close to giving up to the irrational urge to kiss Seth.

He's the top agent in the agency, something he's worked his ass off for ten years. But back there he almost threw caution to the wind just for one guy. _One guy._ It has to stop now. Roman won't let his emotions get the better of him. He's a professional, he can handle this.

Calling a number, Roman presses the phone to his ear and waits.

"Hello? Daddy?"

Joelle's voice instantly makes Roman smile. "Hey, baby girl. What are you up to?" he asks.

"I was watching Steven Universe," she says. Behind her, Roman hears some noise from the television. "Steven and Lars were still trapped in Aquamarine's ship. They cried and wanted to hug but they couldn't because they were stuck in Topaz's body when she fused. Oh, and she felt sorry for them and wanted to help them escape with the escape pod, but Aquamarine came back and destroyed the pod. I don't like Aquamarine, she's mean."

"Oh shoot," replies Roman, with a little amused grin on his face; she's always so passionate about everything. Though he has no slightest idea of what she's talking about. He needs to watch more TV with her. "I hope they can escape. But have you done your homework?"

"Of course, I did it before dinner," Joelle replies. "Anne made fish tacos and I helped her make lemon pie." She sounded proud.

"Hmm, I love lemon pie. Well done, you."

Roman hears her giggle. "Was your dinner good?"

He supposes it was, although he didn't pay more attention to his food because Seth kept making faces at his slightly tough pork ribs, and it was funny and—cute. "It was all right," he decides to say.

They talk for a bit longer and then Roman says she can go back to watch TV and reminds her not to sleep so late. He won't make it home before her bed time again today even if he drives home now, since they live on the other side of the city.

"I love you, sweetheart," he tells her softly.

Joelle's voice sounds like music to his ear. "I love you, too, Daddy."

Roman can't find Seth on the dance floor when he comes back outside. He sighs and makes his way through the dancing people. He finally sees Seth sitting on one of the chairs near the far wall, talking to a blond guy in a red shirt who's standing next to him. Roman's jaw clenches, when he sees the guy place a hand on Seth's shoulder, like a heat is just flushing through his body. But he has no right to feel that way. It's his job as Seth's agent to keep an eye on him, making sure he won't do anything scandalous, but it doesn't mean Seth can't see anyone.

The guy whispers something in Seth's ear, and Seth laughs. Then Roman sees him walk towards the bar. As soon as the guy left, Seth is scrolling away on his phone, already looking bored. While Roman is considering if he should come to him or not, another guy beats him to it. This time it's a dark-haired guy, who's wearing a leather jacket. The guy sits down on the chair opposite Seth, making him look up.

Roman isn't surprised about the attention he gets. Even if they have no idea who he is, Seth is attractive; anyone can see that. But Roman has a bad bad feeling about this.

And damn right, the first guy comes back with two glasses in his hands, and he doesn't look too happy when he sees the second guy hitting on Seth. He puts the glasses on the table and frowns at leather jacket guy, who stands up and shrugs. Seth leans back on his chair, watching them argue with something that looks like amusement on his face.

Roman shakes his head. It's time for him to step in, before things go really wrong. He walks towards them in long strides and takes Seth's hand. "Seth, come on, we're leaving."

The guys who were arguing five seconds earlier were now quiet, both looking at Roman. This is where being a big guy is an advantage, because they both look intimidated and Roman believes they won't try to start a fight with him. Seth doesn't resist being led away, much to his relief. The sooner they get in the car the better.

But the relief doesn't last long. "What the hell was that?" Seth opens his mouth as soon as they're in the car. "Just when it was getting fun."

Roman starts the engine. "You call a bar fight fun? How do you think your potential sponsor would feel about that?" he says, trying to keep his voice down.

From his peripheral vision he sees Seth roll his eyes. Roman chooses to ignore it; he doesn't want to argue with him while driving a car. He turns up the volume on the radio a little bit, and an old song from 50 cent is on the air. It takes two seconds before Seth reaches out and changes the radio station. _Of course, he hates rap._ He chooses a station that plays a Metallica song from their latest album.

Roman glances at him. Seth is leaning back on the seat, looking out of the window. The song ends and a new song plays, even trashier than the Metallica one. This radio station sounds like Seth's cup of tea, not so much Roman's. But at least it makes him quiet.

* * *

The moment they step into Seth's apartment, the truce breaks. Seth unfastens his watch and carelessly tosses it on the sofa. "You think I can't handle them?" He turns around and faces Roman. Clearly they're not done with this matter.

Roman is not in the mood to argue. He's drained, by the non-stop work these past days—and the realization that his feelings for Seth aren't strictly professional. He doesn't need this right now. "I was only preventing a fight. Think about the negative publicity you'd get if it happened," he says. "As your agent, that is what I do."

"So you do think I can't handle those guys." Seth crosses his arms. "Maybe I wanted both of them. Are you managing my sex life as well now? I should ask for your permission everytime I wanna bang someone, is that it? I thought you said you don't care what I do behind closed door, as long as it stays that way."

Seth wants to rile him up. Roman won't let himself be provoked that easily. "You know I just want to keep you out of trouble."

An incredulous snort is what he gets. "Come on now, you sure that's the only reason? Not because you don't like them hitting on me?"

Roman freezes for a second before quickly recovering. "That's ridiculous. Why should I? You're my client."

Seth takes a step towards Roman, and then two more. "Cut the crap, Roman. You touched me back there, looking like you wanted to kiss me. Like you _really_ wanted to kiss me." He takes another step. "I bet you still do," he says, his voice getting lower and—sexier.

"Seth," Roman says in a reprimanding tone. "Stop it."

The thing about Seth Rollins is, he doesn't take orders very well. Roman should know it by now. "And if I don't, whatcha gonna do about it?" He says it like a challenge, eyes looking straight into Roman's. The last time they were this close Seth was drunk, and even then it did… _things_ to Roman. Now he's one hundred percent sober and knows exactly what he's doing.

Much to Roman's surprise, Seth doesn't come any closer. "Tell you what, you're not gonna do anything about it," he says, a mocking smile curls up his lips. "You and your little values—you must think hooking up with a client is a disgrace. Well, too bad, because I surely would change your definition of _fun_."

Roman feels his jaws tighten, but he stays still. Seth is bluffing; he just wants to get a reaction. Alright, two can play this game.

"Are you sure about that?" Roman asks, and before Seth can respond he grabs his arm and pulls him close, so close that their chests are touching. "Maybe, I'm gonna do something about it."

Seth blinks and looks at him wide-eyed. The expression on his face is not something Roman has seen before. It's a mixture of bewilderment and something else. He looks unguarded and oddly vulnerable, yet so fucking beautiful, and that's when Roman drops the act. He can deal with cocky, bratty Seth without a problem, but not this Seth.

Abruptly he releases him, taking two, three steps backwards, almost hitting a wall. "Sorry I, uh, didn't mean to…" Didn't mean to what? Even Roman doesn't know what he was about to say. All he knows is that he was so close to crossing the line. "I'm sorry, it's been a long day." It such a lame excuse, but Roman can't possibly sink any lower than this.

"No, it's—" Seth swallows, shaking his head "—it's alright.

Roman nods and clears his throat. "I'll see you at the office tomorrow," he says.

"Yeah, I'll be there," Seth replies, and it's weird to see him this civil. But Roman doesn't feel like analyzing. He just wants to go home, hoping that everything will be back to normal tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

There's no reason to worry about Seth's ability to be well-behaved when he wants to. The representatives from Diesel are so charmed by him, that they want the deal to be done straight away. Roman is relieved when both parties have signed the contract. It feels like a weight is off his shoulders.

"We're looking forward to work with you, Seth," says Charlotte Flair, one of the representatives as they're walking out of the conference room. The other one, Corey Graves, nods and gives him a warm smile.

Roman and Seth follow them to the door. "The pleasure is mine," Seth says. He's been impeccable the whole meeting, basically being every agent's dream. Roman glances at him as he briefly talks to Corey about some endorsement plan.

Roman hasn't really talked to Seth alone, apart from the few minutes of going over the things he has to say before the meeting. Seth was still being polite—too polite—and he didn't make any comments or sassy remarks about Roman's note. It's odd, Roman isn't sure what he feels about it. It's good that Seth takes everything seriously for once, but if he's being honest, he kind of misses the sassy remarks.

"Congratulations," Roman tells him, after Charlotte and Corey leave. "You definitely impressed them." He picks up the papers from the table, taking his time, since the meeting was quicker than he expected and the only other thing he needs to do today is going to a client's press conference at 2 PM, which is still hours away. When he looks up, Seth is watching him with an unfamiliar expression on his face.

Okay, scratch that thought he had earlier; Roman doesn't kinda miss the sassy remarks, he misses it a lot. At least with that Seth, he never found himself lost for words like he is now. It's pretty ridiculous, considering he's a damn good talker and convincing people is what he does for a living.

"Couldn't have done it without you," Seth says, still fixing his eyes on Roman. "Thank you."

Roman manages to put up a smile, though smiling is the last thing he wants to do. "That's my job." It sounds generic and repetitive. He doesn't like it one bit, but nothing else comes to mind. Seth watches him without saying anything, making Roman wonder what he wouldn't give to go back to their casual-but-still-professional relationship. He'd rather deal with bratty Seth giving him constant headaches than this Seth, who's looking at Roman as if he has the answer of all the problems in the universe.

Turning back to his papers so he doesn't have to face Seth, Roman put everything in a folder. "You're free to go. I'll email you the copy of the contract." When he doesn't hear Seth move, he exhales and reluctantly turns around.

"Aren't we gonna talk about what happened last night?" Seth asks.

"What's there to talk about?" Roman says quickly. "Even if there is, we're not discussing it here."

Shrugging lightly, Seth replies, "I don't see anyone else here."

At least he hasn't lost his defiance, it's good to know. Roman takes another deep breath. All right, let's just get it over with. "I shouldn't do what I did last night. I knew you were bluffing, and I guess I just wanted to prove you wrong," he admits. "I didn't mean any of it."

"But you didn't correct me, when I said you looked like you wanted to kiss me," Seth says, his tone still uncharacteristically soft.

Now, that's another story. Roman swallows, thinking of the ways he can stall the time. He doesn't have to answer that, does he? He could just deny it, and there would be nothing Seth can do about it. But wouldn't that make him a liar—a coward? And Roman is neither of those things.

"Yeah, I didn't," he says. And after a few seconds he adds, "Because you were right." Another unfamiliar emotion flashes on Seth's face. It's almost too overwhelming, but Roman doesn't look away. "It's completely inappropriate. I promise you it won't happen again."

As Seth blinks, the gentle look in his eyes gradually fades. "Because being involved with a client is a disgrace that will tarnish your perfect reputation?" His voice slightly falters, and Roman hates it. He never intends to hurt Seth; the thought of it never even crosses his mind.

"Seth—" Roman tries, but Seth doesn't let him finish.

"Is that all I am to you? A client."

Roman looks at him as he racks his brain for the right thing to say. Technically yes, he is. But Roman knows it's not as simple as that, hasn't been for quite some time. Roman cares about Seth more than he should, and it will end up hurting his professionalism in the long run.

He could, of course, tell Vince to let another agent manage Seth, but does he really want to do that? The only agent who's more experienced than him is John, and he's leaving soon to open his own agency. That leaves... Randy. And Roman would be damned if he lets Randy manage Seth. The guy is a top agent, for sure, but he's also pretty heartless. If he was Seth's agent he would tell him to suck it up and do the collaboration with Enzo Amore, whether Seth likes it or not because that's what being a professional is about.

Roman doesn't say that Randy is a bad agent, because he's not. Let's just say he's not a fan of Randy's approach, and for that reason he doesn't want Seth to work with him.

Seth is still watching him. Roman puts as much authority in his voice as he can manage when he speaks, concealing what he really feels. "Yes." It's the safe answer, for both of them.

If he's hurt, Seth doesn't show it this time. "Alright. Does it mean next time I wanna bang someone—or two—you won't stand in the way?" In fact he hasn't sounded this indifferent since the first time they met.

"As long as you stay out of trouble," Roman says curtly.

A smile curls up Seth's lips, one that doesn't reach his eyes. "But isn't it your job to keep me out of trouble, man?" he asks as he makes his way towards the door. Then without waiting for Roman to reply, he opens the door and leaves.

Roman reaches for the folder on the table, taking a long, slow breath. So much for hoping everything to be back to normal. But it's for the best. He has to put a distance between himself and Seth, starting to see him only as a client, with no feelings involved.

It sounds easier said than done, but Roman doesn't really have any other choices.

* * *

"The person you're calling is not available to take your call, please try again later."

Swearing under his breath, Roman presses the end call button, waits for a few seconds then tries again. When he gets the same message he ends the call and tosses his phone to the passenger's seat. Later he'll kick himself if he damages the phone, but at the moment he couldn't care less. He's been trying to call Seth for the last fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes and all he gets is the stupid answering machine. If this is Seth's way of irritating him then well done—brilliant job—because Roman has had enough of this kind of bullshit.

Since the signing with Diesel a few days ago, Roman has only spoken to him once. Most of the times he's either too busy to talk, or he doesn't pick up the phone. It's fucking ridiculous. Roman thought he could go home early and spend some time with Joelle. But now he has no choice but go to Seth's place to give him the message, because the little brat doesn't bother to answer his phone. Fantastic.

He growls in frustration as he fastens his seatbelt. Seth better be home, and he better has a damn good reason for this utter nonsense.

When Seth opens the door and sees Roman, he doesn't seem surprised. His disheveled hair and half-open shirt make him look like he just got out of bed. "Yeah?" he asks.

Roman feels his jaw clench. "Why didn't you answer your phone? I tried for fifteen minutes and it all went to voicemail."

"I must have put it on silent," Seth replies, sounding unconcerned. Roman tries hard to keep his temper under control, but it's not an easy thing to do, if he thinks about how he should be home with his daughter instead of being here.

"You know how important it is to answer your phone," Roman says, walking past Seth to enter the apartment. He manages to keep his tone neutral, though just. "It could be something really important like—" He stops when he spots something, well someone, in the room.

A guy with messy blond hair is standing awkwardly near the sofa. His black shirt is crumpled and he's watching Roman with a mixture of question and fear on his face. The sight doesn't improve Roman's mood one bit.

"I… sorry, I didn't know…" the guy starts, running a hand through his hair. It doesn't make his hair look more presentable. "You didn't tell me you have a boyfriend," he tells Seth, almost accusingly.

Seth walks in behind Roman. "I don't, it's just my agent. He's leaving soon," he says, giving a dismissive wave.

Roman turns to him, completely ignoring the guy. "You didn't answer your phone because of _this_?"

"I told you I put it on silent. What's your point?" Seth retorts back.

Before Roman responds, the guy collects his jacket from the sofa and rushes towards the door. "I think I better leave."

Seth rolls his eyes but doesn't stop him. "Right, sorry about this. I'll give you a call, Bill—Ben… whatever."

"It's Bobby," Roman hears the guy say, and then a click from the door being closed. If he was in a better mood he'd laugh at how funny this whole situation is. But laughing is the last thing on his mind right now.

"Are we really doing this again?" Seth paces towards the sofa, before turning back at Roman. "What the hell do you want?"

Roman reminds himself he has to keep his head cold. _Be careful with what you wish for._ He said he preferred bratty Seth, so that's what he got. "Diesel changed the time for the photoshoot tomorrow from 1 PM to 10 AM. We have to be there at least one hour before for fitting."

A loud snort escapes Seth's lips. "Really, Roman? You cockblocked me for such an irrelevant crap?"

"It's not irrelevant," Roman says, ignoring the bubbling anger in his stomach. "You know how important they are for your career. Without them there wouldn't be a tour, and the record company could in theory force you to do the collaboration or terminate your contract. Can you take this seriously for once in your life? I should be home with my daughter right now. But no, I'm here because you couldn't be bothered to answer your goddamn phone." Once he starts he can't stop. "I'm tired of being the only one putting effort on your career. Yeah, you heard it right, Seth, _your_ career."

He expects Seth to fight back, tell him to go to hell, or that he's wrong, or anything. He doesn't expect Seth to fall silent, some emotions flicker in his eyes. Roman instantly regrets what he said. Has he gone too far this time?

"Is that how you feel about me?" Seth asks quietly, after a few long seconds of deafening silence. "That I don't care, I'm unprofessional. That I'm a lost cause to you?" He blinks and raises his voice slightly. "If you don't want to manage me anymore, it's fine. If I can't get Bayley back, there must be some other agents. Then you'll be free from me for good, how does that sound?"

"No," Roman says firmly, startling both of them. "Vince would put you with Randy Orton and—trust me, you don't want to work with him. He's gonna make you do things his way, zero tolerance. I can't let that happen."

Seth shakes his head, sounding incredulous when he speaks. "But why do you care? The point is I won't be your responsibility anymore. You should find the champagne."

"I don't know," Roman admits. He really doesn't. Everything Seth said is true; he should be overjoyed to be free from him. But he can't be. "I just do."

Whatever Roman expects Seth to do, it's not him taking three angry steps towards Roman and pushes his chest. "Don't! Don't fucking do this to me," he fires. "Tell me you don't care."

Roman catches his hand and holds it against his chest. "But I do," he says, almost sadly. He doesn't know what he's doing anymore. Seth just handed him a perfect escape on a silver platter, and he didn't take it. What does that say about him?

Seth doesn't try to pull his hand back. He closes the remaining gap between them and grabs Roman's jacket collar with his other hand. "Don't do this to me, Roman," he still tries, though his voice has dropped to a whisper.

Roman looks into his eyes and the last shreds of his self-control is gone. He releases Seth's hand and cups his face, caressing his jaw with a thumb. When his lips touch Seth's, everything else fades into nothing. All he cares about is Seth's body against his, Seth's soft moan that's being swallowed by his mouth. They set Roman's body on fire.

His fingers trail down the side of Seth's neck to the back of his head, slightly tilting it to get a better access to his mouth. He puts his other hand on the small of Seth's back, pulling him closer even though he's already as close as he can be. But it's not enough, Roman wants more, wants him closer. He backs them up until his legs nudge the sofa, and when he falls on it he pulls Seth down with him, their lips still connected.

It's mind blowing. Roman doesn't remember the last time he was this turned on. He's so hard against his boxers that it's downright painful. Seth straddles him, impatiently grinding on his lap, eliciting a groan from Roman's lips. He pulls back to catch a breath, feeling his heart pounding wildly in his chest. On top of him Seth opens his eyes, and in his lust-fuelled brain Roman isn't sure he has seen anything more beautiful.

But then the realization is slowly creeping back. Roman doesn't just want sex; he wants more than that. And deep down he knows he can't have it.

With a sinking feeling, he gently pushes Seth away, ignoring his heart screaming at him to do the opposite. At first Seth doesn't realize what he's doing, until he looks down at Roman's face. "You know what, Roman, fuck you," he spits, almost jumping off Roman's lap. "You have no right to do this. I'm not—I'm not a fucking toy for you to play with." His voice is shaking with anger. "One moment you kiss me like you wanna fuck my brains out, the next we're back to this 'just a client' bullshit."

Roman closes his eyes for a long second before opening them again. It doesn't hurt less when he sees the wrath in Seth's eyes, mixed with disappointment. He fucked up. Badly. And he doesn't know what he can do to fix it. "I'm sorry."

"Just—go."

Seth turns around, facing the wall. Roman doesn't blame him one bit. He rises from the sofa and walks towards the door, trying to ignore the tingling feeling on his lips. "I'll see you tomorrow at nine," he says.

He doesn't expect Seth to reply, but much to his surprise he does.

"I'll be there." He's still facing the wall, but his voice almost sounds normal. Almost.

Roman allows himself to look at Seth's rigid back for a moment. "I'm sorry," he repeats softly. Seth says nothing, and this time it doesn't surprise him.

* * *

The next few weeks feel like a torture. Seth does everything Roman tells him to do. Like, he always answers his phone and never gets himself into trouble. But he's completely distant—and cold towards Roman. Everything between them has become strained and businesslike. Roman wishes they didn't get to this point, but it's nothing he can change, and nobody else but himself to blame.

"You'd want to see this, Roman," Becky tells him one afternoon, after Roman is back from a meeting with a client. He doesn't like the somber tone of her voice. She shows him an article on her phone, and he begins to read.

It's an article about Seth, but not what Roman wants to read. It's like a list of every questionable thing that Seth has done, from when he backstabbed his friends to get a record deal, until the recent incident with the fans at the concert because he couldn't stand not being in the spotlight. It's petty and biased; no one in the right mind would take it seriously. But Roman remembers Seth's face when they talked about the incident a while ago. He might act like it didn't bother him, but Roman knows it did.

"Thanks, Becky," Roman says, returning the phone. Becky nods and walks back to her desk.

Even when he sits down on his chair, trying to write some guidelines for a client's interview, Roman can't get the article out of his mind. _Oh well_ , he won't stop thinking about it until he talks to Seth, so he'll just call him now and get it over with.

"Hello," Seth answers the phone after the second ring. His voice gives nothing away.

"Seth, have you read the article?" He doesn't need to explain which article, because it's all over social media like wildfire. Surely Seth has seen it.

A beat, and then, "If you mean the article where I backstabbed my friends because I only used them to get a record deal and that I never gave a fuck about them in the first place, yeah I've read it."

"Are you okay?" Roman asks softly. "I can come over if you need someone to talk to."

He should've known that the chance of Seth accepting his offer is smaller than a snowstorm in L.A. in June. "Thank you, but there's no need. I'm used to being alone. You don't have to go the extra mile for _a_ _client_."

Roman lets out a sigh. "Just, call me if you need me, okay?" though he knows Seth won't do it.

"Thanks." And he hangs up.

Half an hour later, Roman is still thinking about it. Fuck it, he has to do something. Otherwise, he won't be able to get anything done. He walks out of his office past Becky, who's talking to someone on the phone, towards the office at the end of the long corridor.

He knocks on the door and hears Bayley's voice telling him to come in. "Roman? How can I help you?" she asks, when she sees him.

"It's, uh, about Seth. There's an article today. It's a lot of trash, but it might hit too close to home for him," he explains, sitting on one of the two chairs.

Bayley nods in understanding. "I've read that article, such a piece of crap. And the person who wrote it calls himself a journalist."

"Some people would go that far for attention, I guess," Roman says.

"Sadly, yeah." Bayley takes a deep breath. "I'll talk to Seth. I don't have any more appointments today, I'll call him to see if he wants to meet up."

"That's a great idea." Roman feels a little bit better. "Right now what he needs is a friend, not an agent, and the two of you get along well." _So did we, before I screwed it up,_ he adds bitterly in his mind.

Bayley smiles at him. "You seem to care a lot about Seth. I'm glad he got you as his agent," she says, sounding genuine.

Roman forces himself to smile back. If only she knew. He cares about Seth too much, that's the problem.

* * *

When Roman sees Bayley again the next day, he immediately asks how Seth was.

"He was upset for sure, more than he let it show. That's how he is," she says, taking a cup and placing it under the espresso machine. "He doesn't have a lot of friends, always kind of a loner. The music industry is tough, and any kind of weakness can be used against him. That's why he doesn't trust easily. Well, it's a lonely place at the top." Her coffee is ready and she picks it up, smiling at Roman. "See you later, Roman."

"Yeah, see you," Roman replies, watching her until she disappears into her office.

He walks back into his own office, can't stop thinking about everything she said. He had Seth's trust and he blew it. Roman doesn't know what to do to earn it back, if he can at all. Maybe he never will.

The thought stays with him for the rest of the week, distracting him. Becky begins to look worried, but when she asks if something is wrong, Roman tells her he's just tired, which is not completely a lie. He's lucky he doesn't have too many appointments or client emergencies this week.

On Friday there's a party thrown by Seth's record company, and as Seth's agent Roman has to be there. The good thing is he can see Seth again. While the bad thing is Seth doesn't want to talk to him. Ironic, isn't it? All these years he's been a respectable agent with different high profile clients—and this young rockstar has him wrapped around his fingers just like that.

Roman gets a slight déjà vu when he stands by the bar, watching Seth as he talks to some other musicians across the room. Well, at least he's not driving and doesn't need to be the sober one tonight. He orders a glass of Jack Daniel's on the rocks and downs it, although it burns his throat.

Seth is still standing at the same spot when Roman turns to look him again, talking to Sasha Banks and a petite girl with blonde and pink hair. He's wearing a black suit, his hair is neatly up in a low bun. A smile crosses Roman's lips when he thinks of all Seth's comments about his suit, and now he has to wear one. But he looks good—no, great—in it.

"Hi there."

Roman is roused from his reverie when someone greets him. He turns his head and sees a guy with blond hair and grey eyes standing near him. "Hi," Roman replies politely.

The guy flashes him a smile and Roman has to admit he's pretty. Not Seth pretty but is still quite nice to look at. "I'm Tyler Breeze," he says, shaking Roman's hand.

"Roman Reigns."

"Are you a member of a band?" Tyler asks curiously.

Roman chuckles at the question. The only musical instrument he can play is a flute, and he doesn't play it very well. When they were younger, his sister Summer would sometimes hide it because she got fed up at hearing Roman play nonstop. "For the sake of everyone's ears, I better not come near any instrument," he jokes. "No, I'm an agent. How about you?"

"I thought so. I'd surely remember someone as stunning as you." Tyler gives him another smile, a much flirtier one this time. "I'm a model. I've been in the music videos for some of the guys from this company."

Roman's response to that is a polite smile, which he hopes will send a clear signal. Tyler is attractive and all—but he's not Seth. How can Roman see anyone when Seth is the only one he can think of? It won't be fair. His gaze automatically flickers to across the room, where Seth is now laughing at something the blonde and pink haired girl says.

"Seth Rollins, huh?" Tyler murmurs, and Roman has never turned his head so quickly in his life. Tyler looks at him with a knowing smirk that Roman instinctively doesn't like. "You're digging Seth Rollins. Don't worry, it's piece of cake. The guy will screw anyone looking his way."

"What?"

Tyler shrugs, the annoying smirk still attached to his lips. "I said he'll sleep with anyone who gives him attention. I haven't done it myself—he's not really my type—but I know a lot of people who have."

Roman doesn't wanna hear more. "Stop it, please. You're being disrespectful."

"But it's the truth." Tyler lets out a snort, watching Roman with a challenge in his eyes. "You don't like me spilling out the truth about your precious, little Seth? Guy's a slut; it's no secret around here."

"I said _stop_ ," Roman says through gritted teeth.

"If you can't stand the word slut, maybe next time you should pick—" Tyler never finishes his sentence. The fucking annoying smile on his face freezes when Roman's fist connects with his jaw. It's not a hard punch, but hard enough to send him stumble backwards, colliding with some people.

Everything feels surreal to Roman. Only when he looks around and sees everyone in the room stare at him with their mouth wide open, that he realizes what he's done. And one of them is Seth.

* * *

Hunter is not a man of a few words. He always has things to say, for every occasion. But now as Roman sits in front of him in his office, he's been completely silent for the last minute. It's weird and kinda unsettling to say the least.

"I still can't believe this, Roman. You of all people," he finally breaks the silence. "Our best agent punched a guy in a party. Sounds like a cheap tabloid's headline." He looks at Roman. "Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Roman shakes his head. "It's entirely my fault. He insulted my client, but I shouldn't let it get to me. I'm sorry."

Hunter looks resigned. Roman doesn't blame him. "You'll be suspended for a month, and you'll have to pay a certain amount of fine," he says. Roman nods, but he knows that's not it. "Your clients will be assigned to different agents during your absence. You'll have them back when you return." He pauses for a second. "Except for Seth Rollins. Vince wants Randy to take him over."

"No," Roman protests quickly. "Hunter, I understand that I can't be Seth's agent anymore, but don't let it be Randy. Give Bayley another chance."

"Roman," Hunter admonishes him, shaking his head. "You know you're not in a position to bargain."

"I know," Roman says. There's no guarantee that Hunter will help him, but he won't go down without a fight. "But Randy won't get Seth, and Seth will never listen to him. It'll be a disaster. On the other hand, Bayley understands him. They have a mutual respect, and it makes all the difference." Hunter's a sensible guy. Roman knows he can see his point. "Please, Hunter, it's for our own good. Seth is an important client, we don't wanna lose him."

After another long silence, Hunter gives him a curt nod. "I'll talk to Vince about it. But I can't promise anything."

That's good enough for Roman. "Thank you."

* * *

Roman is the kind of person who believes there's a silver lining on everything. And this suspension is no exception. Since he got suspended he's had time to clear his head and reflect, and most importantly he gets to spend more time with Joelle. It also makes him realize that he's been working too much for the past few years, after he separated with Joelle's mom. It's like he compensated the emptiness he felt with work, work and more work, although as a top agent, he can actually afford to be selective with clients.

In the second week of his suspension, Roman decides he won't have some of his clients back when he returns. That way he'll have more time for his daughter, and himself. Then a few days ago he heard from Bayley that Vince finally approved her to be Seth's agent again. It's such a relief. Now he doesn't have to worry about Seth having to deal with Randy. Hunter kept his word.

Today's a Saturday, and Roman is alone at home. Joelle has a weekend sleepover at her best friend Molly's place, which she's very thrilled about. Roman told Anne she could go home to see her family, since Joelle won't be home almost the whole weekend. Usually Joelle doesn't do sleepovers because weekend is the only time she gets to spend the whole day with Roman. Yeah, another silver lining of the suspension.

The doorbell rings when Roman is trying to decide what to have for dinner. He frowns. Who could it be? He doesn't expect anyone. Joelle won't be back before tomorrow morning, and Anne not before Monday morning.

"Hey," Seth says as soon as Roman opens the door.

Roman looks at him. He hadn't seen Seth since the night at the party, where he punched Tyler Breeze. Roman missed him a lot. There were times where he considered calling him, but in the end he always decided against it. "Hey."

Seth smiles. He looks just as good as Roman remembers, if not better. "May I come in?"

"Sure." Roman moves aside. Seth walks past him into the living room.

He stops in the middle of the room, looking around at the photographs on the wall. It reminds Roman of the day in his office when Seth asked him about his family. It feels like ages ago.

"So I got Bayley as my agent again," Seth starts.

"I know," Roman says with a small smile. "I'm glad you did."

Seth nods absently. "And, I'm gonna work with Parkway Drive for their next album. It's so cool, they're one of my favorite bands." He sounds genuinely excited this time.

"I heard about it. Congratulations," Roman tells him. He laughs when Seth dramatically rolls his eyes. "What?"

"Of course you already knew. Are you keeping track of me or something?"

Roman watches him. He knows Seth meant it to be a joke, but his answer is far from being a joke. "I am." The change in Seth's face is apparent. His smile fades and Roman can see confusion in his eyes.

"Why are you here, Seth?"

Seth slowly shakes his head. "I'm not sure. Maybe I wanted to see how you were doing. Or why you got yourself suspended," he says, before adding, "Why did you punch Tyler Breeze? What did he do?"

"He said some bad things about you," Roman admits. Seth frowns at him.

"About me? You punched him because he said some bad things about me? Who the hell cares about what he said, he's a jerk."

Well, at least they both agree on something. Tyler Breeze is a douchebag and Roman doesn't regret punching him. "I shouldn't, but I didn't like him calling you names." Roman bends over the coffee table, moving the scattered newspapers. "I told him to stop, but he didn't listen."

"Let me get this straight," Seth says tentatively. "You got suspended because of me?"

Roman sighs. "Technically I got myself suspended. But, if you put it that way, yeah. Indirectly because of you."

Seth looks as if he's afraid to hear the answer of his next question. "And you were the reason why I got Bayley again instead of Randy Orton?"

"I asked Hunter to persuade Vince, yeah."

Seth watches him in silence for a long moment. When he finally speaks, his voice is quiet. "Why did you do it? You're not supposed to care."

Roman puts the last newspaper aside and straightens up. "We've talked about this before," he says patiently. "I just do."

"I'm not your client anymore."

"It doesn't matter. I care about you just the same."

Seth doesn't reply to that. He exhales and turns his attention back to the photographs on the wall. Roman isn't sure what to make of that. He just told Seth he never stops caring about him, and Seth says nothing. He wishes he could read what's on his mind, because Roman's reading people ability doesn't seem to work at the moment. Maybe because it's Seth, and Roman's emotions are clouding his judgement when it comes to him.

"Is your daughter here?" Seth suddenly speaks.

"No, she's having a sleepover," Roman says. "She'll be back tomorrow."

Seth nods, then he looks at Roman like he doesn't know what to say next. It's oddly cute, and still so much better than when Seth treated him like a stranger.

"Listen, I was about to make dinner when you rang the bell. Getting pretty hungry now. Have you eaten?" Roman asks, trying to lighten up the mood. Seth shakes his head. "How about Fettuccine Alfredo? Jojo's nanny Anne really loves to cook. Our fridge is always stocked up with food, and her pasta isn't cloggy like mine."

Seth chuckles. It makes Roman smile. "Sounds good."

When they sit by the table, it begins to feel like old times. Though they haven't slipped back into their easy banter, but this is a start. A good start.

They don't talk much during the meal. Seth says that the pasta tastes nice, and that he got a burnt pizza last week but he ate it anyway because he was starving. Other than that they're mostly quiet. But Roman doesn't mind. He's already contented at Seth being this close, though at the same time he's not close enough.

The dinner ends quicker than Roman would have liked. "Do you want some dessert?" he asks Seth when they load the dishwasher with plates and cutlery. "I know we have some ice cream."

"After such a heavy meal? No, but thanks," Seth replies with a laugh. What else can Roman do? He doesn't want Seth to leave, but he's running out of options.

"Then do you wanna see the few vinyl records I have?" Roman asks. "It's not that many but I have some good ones."

Seth's eyes lighten up. "Of course I do."

Roman motions Seth to follow him to his office, where he keeps the records. He retrieves one from the shelf and shows it to Seth. "Led Zeppelin II first pressing. You see the characteristic miscredited 'Livin' Lovin' Wreck' on the cover?"

"Yeah, instead of 'Livin' Lovin' Maid'," Seth says, sounding amazed. "This is awesome, it must be hard to get. In such a mint condition, too."

They talk about records for a few more minutes, but then Seth glances at his watch. "It's getting late. I should go."

"Can't you stay a little bit longer?"

Seth gives him an unsure smile. "I don't think it's a good idea."

Roman shakes his head. He's not gonna let him walk away this time. "What's the problem?" he asks gently.

"I don't know what we are, Roman. Or where we stand." Seth says truthfully. He lowers his gaze for a second before looking back up. "I don't know what I'm supposed to feel."

Roman reaches out and touches his arm. "Seth, if it isn't obvious by now that I'm head over heels in love with you, I don't know what else to tell you."

Seth's lips part, but no words come out.

"I couldn't allow myself to feel anything for you, when I was your agent," Roman says again. "But even then what I felt was never purely professional. From the moment you walked into my office with your attitude, peculiar hair, and those damn skinny jeans." He pauses for a moment to smile. Seth doesn't smile back but he looks less doubtful than he was before. Roman takes it as a good sign.

He steps closer, moving his hand from Seth's arm to the side of his face. "Now you're not my client anymore."

It's _almost_ working. Seth subconsciously leans into his touch, eyes fixed on Roman's lips. "I wanna kiss you," Roman says, his voice getting rougher and his face hotter. "If you let me, I'm gonna kiss you until tomorrow."

"Then kiss me."

It's been more than a month since he kissed Seth, but Roman still remembers the maddening sensation in his stomach, the way his surrounding faded and all that mattered was Seth's body against his. It feels even more intoxicating this time, because nothing can stop him. He will kiss Seth until both of them forget how to breathe.

Roman briefly leaves Seth's lips to kiss his jawline, feeling the light beard tickle his nose. The breathy moan that escapes Seth's mouth when Roman licks the inside of his ear is the hottest sound Roman has ever heard in his life. He runs his tongue along the curve, enjoying the way Seth's breathing gets heavier and more erratic by every second. His hand slides between their bodies to stroke the front of Seth's jeans. _He's so hard._ Roman bites back a groan.

Seth's t-shirt gets in the way when Roman kisses his collarbone, so he impatiently tugs it. Seth gets the sign and takes it off, tossing it on the floor. Roman's hands roam all over his back, more than happy the annoying fabric is gone.

"It's unfair I'm the only one shirtless," Seth protests, still sounding out of breath.

Roman pulls back slightly to remove his shirt. Seth lets out a soft gasp when he sees his sleeve tattoo.

"It's beautiful," he says, tracing some of the intricate patterns with his finger. Roman's breath hitches when Seth's finger brushes his nipple. The kiss that follows is deeper, harder, one that leaves Roman breathless and makes his head spin.

"Don't leave," Roman whispers against his lips. "Stay with me."

Seth replies by kissing him, burying his hands in Roman's hair, as good as a promise.

* * *

When Roman opens his eyes in the morning, he braces himself for the disappointment he would feel if Seth had left. But Seth is still lying on his side next to him, the covers drape around his waist, revealing the smooth skin of his back and the tattoo between his shoulder blades.

Roman's face breaks into a smile. As he watches Seth sleep, some warmth is creeping in his chest. He lifts his hand and gently tracing the tattoo with his fingertips, noticing how Seth's skin is pleasantly warm under his touch.

Seth stirs when Roman leans forward to kiss his neck. He turns around and rubs his eyes. "Good morning," he says, his voice hoarse from sleep.

"You sound so good," Roman mumbles, giving him a kiss. His lips are still a bit swollen from the amount of kissing they did, but he just can't get enough of kissing Seth.

"So do you," Seth says. Roman can feel him smile against his lips. He already feels a loss when Seth pulls back. "You look good, too. Did anyone tell you that you look so good when you smile?"

"Yeah. You, actually," Roman says and laughs when Seth raises his eyebrows in disbelief. "At the night where you got drunk and I had to put you into bed after Sasha Banks' party."

"I said that?"

"Loud and clear."

Seth looks kinda mortified. "Oh man. Did I say more embarrassing things? I did, didn't I?"

"Well, you also accused me of wanting to 'bed you already', your words not mine." Roman enjoys teasing Seth like this. He looks so adorable, trying to cover his face with a pillow. Roman chuckles as he takes the pillow and puts it aside.

"You're kidding," Seth says. He wants to grab another pillow but Roman is faster.

"No kidding." Roman tucks some strands of hair behind Seth's ear. "Wanna hear a secret?" he asks. Seth looks interested when he nods.

"Do you remember that you woke up still fully dressed the next day?" Roman starts, and gets another nod.

"I remember I was sweating like crazy," Seth says.

"Well... I didn't undress you because I thought you were really hot. I had to get away as soon as possible," Roman confesses.

A smile is playing on Seth lips as he watches Roman. "You already wanted me." It's not a question.

"I did." Roman says. "God knows I did." He leans and kisses Seth again. But he pulls away after a few seconds. If Roman keeps touching him they'll never get out of bed. He rolls over and walks towards the bathroom, picking up his boxers from the floor on the way.

When he's back he sees that it's a bit over nine. Joelle should be home soon. Roman isn't sure how she will react when she sees Seth. This is the first time Roman has someone stay over, and the number of dates he had in the last three years is close to none. He hopes they'll get along somehow.

"I'll wait downstairs for breakfast," Roman tells Seth, who's sitting on the bed. He nods.

When he enters the kitchen about ten minutes later, Roman is making his second scrambled eggs. "Are scrambled eggs okay?" he asks, looking at Seth. He's wearing his clothes from last night.

Seth makes a face. "Not really. It's basically a failed omelet."

Roman can't help laughing at that. "I never thought of it that way." He's about to ask if Seth wants omelet when the doorbell rings. "It must be Jojo. I'll be right back," Roman tells Seth and leaves the kitchen.

Joelle hugs him as soon as he opens the door. Roman chuckles when he kisses the top of her head. "I missed you, sweetheart. Have you had breakfast?"

"I missed you, too," she says, carrying her pink backpack inside. "Yeah, Molly's mom made some waffles."

"That's nice," Roman says, before pausing for a second to think of how to phrase what he's going to say. "Sweetheart… there's someone I would like you to meet. He's, uh, Daddy's friend."

"Where is he?" she asks.

"In the kitchen," Roman tells her, thinking _so far so good_. But before he can do anything, she runs into the kitchen. Oh well, he initially thought he could prepare Seth a bit more about her. But fingers crossed.

Feeling kinda cautious when he comes back to the kitchen, Roman doesn't expect to see what he sees. Seth is standing by the cooktop, and Joelle is near him, looking up with an awed expression on her face.

"What are you making?" she asks, never taking her eyes off him.

Seth smiles at her. "I wanna make an egg net, peaches. Have you had one before?"

"No." She shakes her head, looking both curious and interested. "What is an egg net?"

"Well, an egg net is an egg dish that looks like a net. You can wrap it around anything: potatoes, shrimps, mushrooms. Believe me it's good," Seth explains patiently. "But to make it we need a squeeze bottle, like for example a mustard bottle."

Her face lightens up. "We have a mustard bottle." She rushes to the refrigerator and takes the mustard bottle out. Roman sighs. It's time for him to stop the party.

"Absolutely not," Roman says, making them turn to him. "There's still some mustard in it."

Joelle shakes the bottle and then saying with a serious face, "But there's not much anymore, Daddy." She gives the bottle to Seth who also shakes it.

"Yeah, not much at all," he agrees.

"There's still enough for one serving," Roman tells them firmly.

Joelle's face falls. "I wanna see an egg net," she says, in a sad tone. _No_. Roman hates to see her sad.

Seth lets out a dramatic sigh. "Yeah, Roman, she wants an egg net." He gently pats Joelle's back.

Roman doesn't know if he should be mad or laugh. Now they're ganging up on him. Unbelievable. When he said he wanted them to get along, this isn't what he meant.

Two pairs of puppy eyes are looking at him, and Roman knows he's fighting a losing battle. "Oh fine. Do whatever you want," he relents, albeit grumpily. "What's wrong with good old scrambled eggs anyway?"

Joelle cheers and Seth gives her a high five. Roman has to admit it's a really adorable sight. She stays by his side the whole time, listening intently to whatever he says. It's amazing how it only takes five seconds for her to be completely charmed by him. The damn effect he has on people.

The _great_ egg net turns out to be a thin omelet that looks like a net, but Joelle absolutely loves it.

"It tastes just like scrambled eggs," Roman comments after taking a bite.

Seth shrugs. "Maybe, but it looks a lot better," he says, giving Joelle a conspiratorial smile. She nods earnestly. "That's a cute keychain." Seth points at the keychain on her backpack. It's a letter J keychain with animal pictures on it.

"It's from LA Zoo. We went there last Sunday," she explains. "You should get an S."

"Yeah, I'd like that," Seth says seriously, holding the keychain. "Can you believe I've lived in L.A. for three years and haven't been to the LA Zoo? Do you think I should?"

Joelle gives another nod. "Oh, you should go there. There was a baby giraffe, and also a baby hippo. The baby hippo's skin looks so smooth, but Daddy said we're not allowed to touch it."

The conversation about LA Zoo and animals continues for Roman doesn't know how long. He leaves them to check his phone, and when he comes back she's telling Seth about the elephants they saw. Seth notices that Roman is watching them. He smiles as their eyes meet then looks back at Joelle, who's apparently not done yet with her elephant story.

Roman starts the coffee maker, can't wipe the smile off his face. Maybe he has nothing to worry about.

"All right, if you two want we can go to the zoo today," he says and hears immediate cheers from behind him. Roman's smile grows wider.

Maybe everything will be just fine.


End file.
